Scouting reports

Scout: Phil Nation

Ron Artest is one of the most versatile
players in this draft. He is capable of doing many things at the offensive end of the
floor, and he put them on display this past season as the leader of a St. John's team that
almost reached the Final Four.

Artest does many things to help a team win. Offensively,
he can score in any way possible, be it from outside, going to the basket, or posting up.
He is a good passer and involves his teammates like a point guard. He is a solid defensive
player and rebounds well.

Artest is not a tremendous athlete, but he knows how to play the game, is a great
leader, and defense as good as his is hard to come by in a college player these days. His
size may be a question mark, as he'll be smaller than most small forwards a t 6'6"
and is more bulky than most as well. The other potential problem for Artest is that he
does not do any one thing exceptionally well other than defend.

I look for Artest to be a late lottery pick at best. However, a team picking him early
in the lottery might not be making a terrible mistake if they desperately need leadership.

Scout: Jeffrey Burgoyne [burgoyne@ultimate-sports.com]

Artest is one of the more intriguing picks
available in the draft. His numbers would seem to indicate he's a PG/SG style player, yet
he is a big player (6'6, 235). He's just not quick enough to play PG, and only marginally
so for SG. His lack of height would be a concern for guarding other SF's around the
league.

Even with these perceived negatives, however, Artest is a very good one on one
defender using smarts rather than athletic ability to be effective (in that regard reminds
me of Chris Mullin). He compliments his defensive ability with good rebounding and good
passing. His average of 4.2 apg last year was impressive, and certainly wasn't that far of
from a true PG like Avery (5.0 assists with talented teammates).

Artest will not be a huge scorer at the NBA level. Indeed, 14 ppg in college was low.
His scoring was not the most efficient either, although he has decent range on his jumper,
but for some reason is a poor FT shooter. If he drops 10 pounds, however, and develops a
solid outside game, he could turn into a very solid NBA SG along the lines of a Bobby
Phills.